A Gift Well given
by CaughtInAnOrange
Summary: Leo Valdez and the Argo II. Rated T because of Paranoia.
1. Rewarded

**A/N This is my first fanfic ever, so any criticism is welcome. Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan :( **

Leo tore his eyes away from the Doors, and turned to look at his friends. Annabeth and Percy had not let go of each other. Annabeth's face was buried in Percy's chest, and Percy was rocking her back and forth silently. Piper was on her knees, one hand in Jason's the others in a Hazels. Her eyes were for once not shifting in color. She was talking in low tones to Hazel, who was in shock. Frank caught Leo's eye, and an understanding passed between them. _We're fine_, he mouthed. Leo nodded, grateful. Then he collapsed. The War was over, and it was time to go home

* * *

"Leo Valdez!" As Leo stepped forward, he couldn't help but notice that everyone else was being called in pairs. He immediately pushed the thought away, _not the time, dude_. Leo had watched Percy and Annabeth's names be called, and had seen their embarrassment and happiness when both Poseidon and Athena Officially Gave Permission for Annabeth and Percy to get married. Aphrodite smiled at Percy's discomfort and looked at Annabeth knowingly.

Piper had to beg her mother not to give her a gift. Jason, while very honoured, held his ground against immortality. He was granted, instead, acceptance. A home wherever he went. Leo could of handled that. Somewhere to crash whenever he felt like it? Sweet.

Hazel had sunk to the floor when she was told her curse had been lifted. Never again would she have to save anyone from the valuables around her feet. Frank, who's life unfortunately still depended on a burnt stick, was happy to learn his life-force has been "immunized" until further notice. Apollo had winked at Frank, "Just don't try to go on dangerous quests for a while and you should be good for another eight years or so."

Apollos haiku thankfully had been cut off by Zeus, who has cleared his throat uncomfortably, and had called Leo forward.

Hephaestus stood up and shifted awkwardly. "To you, Leo Valdez, I give one two gifts." Reaching into one of his many pockets, he pulled out a very old, very wrinkled scroll. It was long, and thick, but looked like it had been opened and closed a lot. "Cool!" Leo turned it over in his hands and looked up, grinning. "The next time I'm out of toilet paper I'll make sure to remember this." Hephaestus frowned. "Those schematics will be of great value to you, however, not of yet. They will only open at the time you will need them, and even then, you will need the help of another to complete your work." Leo gave the plans another quick examination and then proceeded to slide into his tool belt. "Thanks. For the Paper towel handbook, Lord Hephae- Father." Leo corrected himself. It felt so weird to call this guy his Dad. "And son," Hephaestus stumbled over the words. "I am proud of you."  
Leo blinked. What? Whoa. Aphrodite could barely contain herself any longer. "Your other gift awaits you at the Argo II," Apollo said, glancing at Aphrodite, who had started fanning her face with her hands. "But be careful, she's on a time limit!"

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**This is only the first chapter so its boring, I know. More once I figure out how to use this site! Please review, as I want to my best to improve! **


	2. Not My Idea!

**I'm back with another chapter. This was only supposed to be a one-shot, but.. Oh well. This should be interesting. ;) **

**Disclaimer: I'm sorry to say it, but I am not not Rick Riordan. *GASP***

* * *

In the elevator, Piper and Leo exchanged looks. Leo shrugged, then laughed as Pipers hair started to comb itself, and her jeans and Camp shirt were flashed into a dress. "You look good, Beauty Queen." Piper looked down in horror, "Mother!" Jason wrapped his arm around her waist. "You're a knockout, Pipes." Piper laughed, remembering when Jason had shouted those exact words out so long ago. Though it had only been a few months since, the time gap felt like a few years. As the numbers flashed what level they were on, Leo's mind wandered towards what his other gift could be. He already had ancient T.P blueprints that were supposedly vital to him, what more could he need? Maybe they fixed the Argo II? It has taken a lot of damage... Then an idea rose to the surface.

_No..  
What if..  
What if Festus was whole again?_  
Leo's head spun, possibilities bounced around in his head.  
_How would he of done it? Would Festus be modified? Upgraded? Wish I could of helped_. Then, another thought.  
_Mom. _  
He shook that one off. She was dead, and there was no changing that. Leo knew not to get his hopes too high, or he'd go insane.  
DING. The elevator brought Leo back to reality.  
The early morning sunlight reflected off the side of the Argo II, making it look as if it was being bathed in fire. Leo sighed, admiringly, it was beautiful. He really did love his ship. Then he realized, that it wasn't only the sunlight, the entire vessel was glowing. Everyone backed up several feet, except Leo. He was being drawn towards the Argo, which was now radiating golden, powerful, waves of light. Leo's eyes were fixated on the ship, as he took slow, deliberate steps forward. He stretched out his hand when- "Shield your eyes!" Hephaestus shouted, as his hand made contact. Everyone obeyed, and Percy was the first to open his eyes. The scene he took in made him want to know if the Mist was affecting his vision. In the place of the Argo II, there was a pile of machinery parts, including a few still-turning cogs. Leo was standing nose to nose with his father, on his toes. His hair was on fire. "..not so confident on your giving strategies!" He was saying. Hephaestus ignored the outburst. "Have a look son. She's waking up." Leo faltered. He turned around. Rising from the pile was a dark red head. Her short hair floated around her shoulders, different bunches curled upward slightly, with her barely upturned nose. Her lids opened to reveal bright green eyes, almost as sharp as Percy's, but.. Softer. She lifted her head, looking around, like a newborn child.

"This was Aphrodite's idea, I'm afraid." Hephaestus stated, as the girl tried to focus on the world around her. "She claimed you were," Hephaestus made a face, as if trying to remember. "Lonely and tragically adorable." He toke a deep breath and let it out in a rush of air. "I am normally not one to agree with my wife, but.." He turned to look at Leo. Leo wasn't listening, his eyes were trained on the Girl, who was still confused. Her small hand had managed to make its way out from underneath A large metal plate.

"Where is the Argo," Leo whispered, not looking at his father. "Where is my ship?"  
Hephaestus looked happy to deal with something he could explain. "Technically, this is the Argo II." He scratched his beard, where a small patch was on fire. "Or at least her spirit. She soul of the ship is here, with us. While the actual boat is back in bunker nine. The reason she looks the way she does is because you made her that way." Leo looked up and turned around. "Me? But I've never seen her before." Hephaestus faced the others as well as Leo. "Well, not only Leo did.

Since you all spent time on the ship, you all contributed to her personality. But the one who cared for her the most.." He looked to Leo pointedly. "Contributed the most." At the moment, a shriek of joy filled the air. Everyone turned to look at the girl. Then averted their eyes in embarrassment. She was completely naked. Except for Leo, who was then smacked on the back of the head by Piper. "What?" He closed his eyes. "Um, hello." The girl didn't seem to notice them at first. She was jumping around holding a single strand of hair in front of her face. "Red! She screamed, "Red! Red hair!" She gasped, looking down. "Feet! Two of them!" Doing a little dance, she spun around, with her hands in front of her face. "Fingers! So many fingers! Oh, this is, this is.." She stopped, looking for the right word but was distracted by somthing else. She felt her scalp. Running her hands all through her hair, feeling every last spot, then stopped, holding the ends. "I'm, I'm a-" she sounded horrified. "a BOY!"

Then she felt groped for her throat. Then sounded relieved. "Not a boy. Not a boy." Then she did a final hop of happiness. "I. am. a. Human!"

Leo listened to her excitement and subconsciously started to get excited. He forgot to cover his eyes. Then she saw Leo. She froze. "I know you.." Her eyes lit up. "Leo!" The next thing he knew, Leo was on the ground, in the arms of some chick he'd never met. Normally this would would be the best day of his life, but a gift from the gods... "Uhh.." Leo tried to peel off the girl while Percy and wJason were falling over laughing.

Even Annabeth was smiling.

"Here.." He offered the girl his jacket, with she looked at quizzically. "What do I do with this... oh." She noticed that everyone else was wearing clothes, so she shrugged and attempted to pull on the hoodie. "Just remember, son, that-"

"You've done enough, Dad." Leo said, glaring at Jason and Percy who were still snickering. Hephaestus opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it and nodded. He disappeared in a flash of light. "Okay," he said, turning to his friends.

"Did I miss something?" Percy wiped a tear from his eye. "It's just that," he hesitated. "you're so bad with girls, dude." Leo winced. "Hey! What are you talking about? I'm great with the ladies." He winked at Frank who scowled. Piper continued, "It is kind of ironic Leo. Considering all the time you spend flirting with girls and as soon as one hugs you," Jason cut her off. "You should of seen your face!"

Everyone but Leo laughed.

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**Please review! criticism is accepted with hope to become a better writer**!


	3. Night thoughts

"Nico!" Leo shot up, shivering in a cold sweat. He looked around, the image of the Nico's pale, terrified face still fresh in his mind. Leo laid back down, breathing heavily. He fought down the urge to vomit.  
_I could of saved him. He didn't have to go_.  
Leo had never really gotten to know Nico that well, but Tartarus was a fate no one deserved. Annabeth and Percy had barely survived.

To distract himself, Leo thought back to the events of that day, fiddling with his pillowcase and a few springs.  
When they had finally gotten back to camp, Chiron had been intrigued by Argo. She had immediately bowed to Chiron, who looked surprised, but did not stop her.

"You do not seem to be a Half-Blood, my dear," he said, "and yet, you are not mortal?"

Argo had just looked mystified.  
"I don't think I am a Demigod, Master Chiron, I thought I was human." Chiron looked pleased at being referred to as a Master. He shook his head, his face unreadable. "You are able to eat ambrosia and nectar.. So you would not be a simple human." Argo had looked crestfallen.

"Ah, my manners. As a gift from the gods, you may make your home here for as long as you require. Piper, some clothes perhaps?" Chiron said, eyeing the the hoodie.  
Piper had nodded, putting an arm around Argo, "You can stay in my cabin, sweetie. Don't worry, I'm sure that we can get you some clothes that fit,"  
Leo had stared after them, unsure of what to do. His godly parent had just handed him a girlfriend.  
What had Aphrodite called him? _Tragically Adorable? _Was that good or bad?  
There had to be a catch.  
"Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

Leo looked up. Chiron was smiling at him, kindly. "My Dad just turned my boat into a girl." Leo was sitting uncomfortably, twisting paper clips into small, moving animals. "I figured, the gods wouldn't just give me a gift like that without getting something out of it. I want to, but.."  
He trailed off. Chiron sighed. "There is no obvious reason why the gods do anything, young man." Then he smiled.  
"However, if you seek my advice, I offer that you do not question their motives."  
Leo took a moment to decipher this. "So you're saying I shouldn't worry?" Dionysus entered the conversation from the table.

"Exactly, Lars!"

"Leo." Mr. D continued to deal the deck of cards. "You should be young. Go do whatever young people do these days. Enjoy it."  
Mr. D sounded almost, wistful? Leo sort of did feel bad for the guy, he had been stuck at a summer camp for so long, it would get boring. "I'll do my best sir Mr. D sir!" Leo said, adding a salut.  
Dionysus nodded, "Now leave. Before you become the first fire-breathing dolphin."


	4. Empty

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. Sorry! **

* * *

Piper had caught up with Leo a little while later, with a few other Aphrodite girls, who were giggling.  
He was in the forges, whipping out weapon after weapon, taking advantage of being  
immune to fire, showing off to his siblings. In the middle of dipping a sword in cold water, Leo was interrupted by Argo, who's nose was centimetres away from being burned.  
"Interesting!" She poked at the hot metal, which was now cooling rapidly, blissfully unaware of shouts of protest behind her.  
"The style you have is great, but it would really be balanced better if.. What?" Argo looked up, and saw everyone staring at her.

"Nothing to see here folks! Continue on! Ignore painful-looking burn!" Leo ushered Argo to the door, blocking her hand from view. "But I'm not hurt!" Argo said, holding up her finger so he could see. "See?" Leo turned her hand over in his examining it. Why wasn't she burned? "Yes you are!" She brought her finger up close to her eye, then stuck it in her mouth.  
"That sword was sharper than I thought." She said around her finger.  
Piper cleared her throat.  
Leo then had noticed he was still holding Argos other hand. He couldn't remember taking it in the first place. He didn't let go. "Hi there, Beauty Queen." Piper smiled, along with the rest of the girls with her.  
"Sorry we had to take her from you, but she needed something to wear other than your jacket." Piper was holding the hoodie out in front of her like it was contaminated. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with Albert!" Leo took his hoodie back, and managed to stuff it down into his tool belt."You name your clothes?" Piper said, raising an eyebrow. "I name my shoes!" another girl spoke up.

"Yes, I do! And you have offended Albert!"  
Leo felt Argo squeeze his hand. She had stopped looking at the blood on her finger and was holding her stomach, looking pained.  
The was dancing on the spot, jumping from foot to foot. "My innards hurt. What's wrong with me?" Leo heard a loud growling noise and laughed. "Oh, man that's right! You've never eaten before!" The conch had sounded, signalling lunch. "You, my friend, are about to be amazed."

* * *

Piper watched Leo and Argo from her table. Leo was trying to convince her to eat a chicken nugget, while Argo was busy discovering the wonders of ice cream. As well as chocolate milk, chocolate cake, and chocolate sauce, in which she was dunking her French fries and burrito into.

Piper had smiled, they were perfect together.

Earlier, Piper had learned very quickly Argo could not be trusted to choose her own clothes. The result had been a disaster. Instead, she had managed to coax Argo into wearing a pair of turquoise shorts and a white blouse. She had said no to twenty-five other outfits, including a camp t-shirt. Argo had borrowed twenty-one articles of clothing, not including undergarments.

She had also blatantly refused to wear shoes, no matter how nice or beat up they were. Piper would of charmspoken, but it hadn't seemed fair at the time. She was just so innocent. Piper sighed. Leo either didn't care or had not noticed yet. Probably the latter. She watched as Leo tried to spin a doughnut around on his finger, which Argo had copied, failing miserably, just like Leo. Both of the pastries had landed in an Apollo campers soup.  
The couple ducked down, as the soup-covered camper looked in their direction. _Yup, absolutely perfect_, Piper thought, as another doughnut sailed through the air.

* * *

Leo shifted in his spot on the bed, barely noting the small contraption he was making. He was definitely going to need a new pillowcase.  
After lunch, Argo had led him on a tour of the camp, dragging Leo everywhere, asking him what everything was. All the sugar from lunch had not been a good idea, as she was more hyperactive than him, which was saying something.  
"Whoa what's that? Do you think it will kill me? I guess lots of things can kill me, but it depends on whether- Hey! Is that lava? Why is it on a climbing wall? That won't kill me. Hi, Juniper!"

The entire sugar high had lasted way longer than normal, because word had got around about Argo, and everyone had wanted to meet her. Including Travis and Connor Stoll, who had decided it would be an excellent idea to introduce her to caffeine. It was in the following three hours that Leo had finally relaxed since the seven had began their quest, even in the insanity that had ensued.  
After dinner, there was some debate on where Argo would sleep, and Chiron was adamant, despite many protests, that she would not stay in the Hephaestus cabin. Leo's cheeks had set on fire, looking like a very weird pikachu.

Argo had spoke up, now wearing shoes (due to Chiron's insistence), "I'll stay with The Aphrodite cabin, if its okay with them." She said and glanced at Piper, who agreed.

"Don't let them near you while you're sleeping," Leo warned, "Or tomorrow lipstick will be permanently stuck on your face." Argo had just laughed.

Now, unable to sleep, Leo got up and rose silently.  
Throwing on Albert, he made his way outside towards the woods. He needed to get to Bunker Nine. Too much had happened, and Leo had not expected nightmares.

The cleaning harpies had learned to leave him alone a long time ago. One burst of flame and they were gone.

Leo placed his hand on the cold stone. Concentrating, he sent flames running down his arm into his hand. The door opened.

Walking in, The Argo II stood, majestically empty. Leo made a beeline for it. Climbing up the ladder, he thought he heard a small hiccup. His hands were immediately ablaze. If anyone was messing with his ship..

There was silence. Leo put it down as sleep deprivation. As soon as his feet were on the deck, there was something wrong. He gripped the rail. It was like all the life from the Argo II had been sucked out.  
The vessel itself, what made it seem like home, it was all gone. Even Festus, who creaked out happily when Leo asked him for a damage report, seemed slightly empty. His eyes were dim, like someone had messed with his settings, scrambling them into gibberish. Leo wanted to scream.  
Or kill. But he just started working. He made his way around the ship, remembering all of the memories he had made in each space. He talked with Festus the whole time, glad the dragon figurehead was keeping him company.  
Leo went into a different state. Focusing on what he could fix, despite the fact that the Argo II would probably never be used again in his lifetime. Leo put all of his hurt into working. As he hammered a floorboard back in, he hid everything wrong underneath it. Each nail was a seal.

Wap. Nico was gone. Wap. How hollow Hazel looked nowadays. Wap. How lonely Piper was without Jason. Wap. How shattered Percy and Annabeth were. Wap. How they tried to hid it. Leo got up and walked to the engine room. Everything checked out, a little too well. Somebody had already been there. By the looks of the engine though, they didn't know the ship well enough to find the tools, so the repairs had been makeshift.

As he rounded the corner, Leo spotted a tangle of wires, and immediately started unknotting them. Leo saw why the stranger had not attempted it. They would need a certain pick that was rare and very specific to the problem. Leo smiled smugly.

He summoned the tool and began to disassemble the mess. "That's a number two pick. You need a triple three spike." A small voice sounded behind him, catching Leo by surprise. He turned around, about to argue, then came face to face with Argo. She was sitting on the floor, her hands cut and greasy. Her dark, red hair was pulled back, and her too-big camp shirt and shorts were stained and ripped. Her eyes had rims under them, like she had been there all night, working. She was beautiful. "Look."

Leo stared at her. She just sighed. "I tried using a toothpick, but it snapped." Leo nodded, reluctant. Sure enough, she was right. She watched, quietly. Leaning against the wall, Argo occasionally corrected Leo about small things, not enough to annoy him, but enough to help. When he was done, Leo put his weight on the wall, sinking to the floor, next to her. Argo just sat there, looking tired. Finally, she spoke. "I missed this." She looked up, staring across the room. "Just you and me."

"And Festus." Leo put in. Argo forced out a weak chuckle. "Look at this place, Leo. So empty." She fingered a necklace that Leo had not noticed before. On it was a small circle. In the circle was a number. Seven, he read. He wondered what that meant. Argo interrupted his thoughts. "No one will ever make this home again." She was silent for a long time and then Leo realized tears were rolling down her cheeks. She hugged her legs to chest. Leo had no idea what he should do.

What do you do when a girl is crying?

He scooted closer and put an arm around her, awkwardly. "Hey, it's okay. Don't cry. It's fine. Don't- it's fine."  
She looked up, feeling her face. "Is that what I'm doing?" Her voiced rough. She looked at her wet hands. "Is it bad to cry?" Leo pulled her closer, unsure of what else he should do. She was almost on his lap now. "No, no. It's good to cry. It just means that you're.. Sad." Her eyes welled up again, and her arms flew around Leo.

Sobs racked her body, huge, heartbroken sobs. She let loose all the pain she felt in the only way she knew how.

Leo felt almost afraid to touch her, but slowly moved reached down and hugged her. They sat like that for a while. Holding each other, in the engine room, greasy, and tired, the only sound being Argo, crying into Leo's shirt.

When she finally stopped, she was curled up against him, facing the opposite direction. Argo put her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you." Argo said quietly, so Leo could barely hear. "No problem."

When she didn't say anything else, he looked over and realized she was asleep. Leo sighed, and sunk lower on the wall. His arms were still around her.

"Squeak!" It was Festus. "Creak, creak!"

Leo's finger lit up. So did his face, blushing.

"Shut up!"


	5. Learning

"Leo!" Leo blinked awake, finding the space were Argo was still warm. "Leoo!" He rubbed his eyes and sat up quickly. Then he noticed Argo, who was dancing around with her legs together.

"Leo, what's wrong with me?" He groaned inwardly. He recognized the movements, except usually the desperate expression has been on a toddlers face. The last time he'd had to deal with this was when he was eleven, with the Smiths kid.

That foster house had not lasted long.

"Leo, please, the pressure.." She crossed her legs and put both hands between her thighs, confused and terrified. Leo got up, and took her hand.

"You know the bathroom, right?"  
She nodded.

"You know what you do there?"  
She bit her lip.

"Take... Baths?"

This was going to be harder than he thought.

"C'mon." Leo led her as fast as she could go to the nearest washroom.

Five minutes later, Leo was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, thanking the gods that no one had seen his rushed and terrible explanation of why humans needed to use a toilet, and how.

Argo was lucky, because while she just listened attentively, and occasionally asking very detailed questions, she was not affected by any embarrassment at all. Leaving Leo to shove down any cringes alone.

After some hand-washing explanations, and some cursing in Spanish, Argo had everything down, and had kicked Leo out of the room.

"Thanks!" Argo walked out, hands still soapy. He grinned. "One of the many joys of being a human, madam."

Leo tapped out a message.

Never speak of this. Never speak of this.

Festus just let out a faint whir.

Ha. Ha.

He sat down across from Argo, who was drizzling chocolate syrup over her cereal. Her red velvet hair was sticking up on one side of her head, and her grass green eyes were alert, unlike Leo, who was falling asleep at the table. She licked the edge of her Nutella-smothered spoon.

"You okay?"

He grinned. "Cause if you are, I know a guy who would be happy to let us loose on a few automons that were kicking around!" Argo looked distracted. "Yeah. Sounds fun." Her voice was devoid of enthusiasm. "What's wrong? We don't have to if you don't want to, I just figured-"  
"It's not that. Automons really do sound like fun, but I was just thinking,"

"I remember thinking. I recall it being very distracting." A smile flashed across her face and disappearing faster than it appeared. "Why am I?"

Um..  
"I'm not really into the awkward questions lately, sister."

"What? No, not that." She sighed. "Why am I, the way that I am. What made me, me? My personality, it has almost no memories to be based on." She pulled at her hair. "I don't have any parents, how come I look like this?" Leo twisted one of his suspenders absent-mindedly.

"Hephaestus said something about community contribution, when you were- uh," Saying she was being born felt strange, but He realized it was true. "We all made you, I guess. But mostly me, 'cause.. Woahhh." The realization hit Leo in the face. "What?"

He scratched the back of his head, his hair smoking. "Well, it- uh.." Leo never finished his sentence.  
"That makes him your Father! This is so cute." Aphrodite slid into a chair next to them, casually plucking Leo's breakfast potato chips out of his hand. The chips turned into a hot plate of bacon and eggs. She handed the plate to Leo, who had fallen out of his seat. "Oom? Am la hep."  
Aphrodite looked on him with pity. She instead gave the plate to Argo, who was staring at Leo, who was still babbling.

"Don't be alarmed, Dear, most of them do that." Aphrodite snapped her fingers and Leo froze.

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**Sorry that this chapter is so short. School just started up so my brain has been busy. I'm going to try and update more often though. Thank You for Reviewing! It really is motivating, and makes me feels good to boot! ;) **


	6. Working Alone

When Leo finally came to, Aphrodite had started to get up. "Well, I really must be going, but try to remember what I told you." She put on one last dazzling smile and faded away. Argo was smiling too, and looked far better than she had been when Leo had last left her.  
"What was that about?"  
She noticed Leo, eyes sparkling. "We gotta get going too, people are going to start wondering where we went."

The trek through the forest was long, leaving them almost too much time to talk. "So, what did Aphrodite want?" Argo didn't miss a beat. "Just some women's business. Nothing important."  
Leo opened his mouth, probably to make a smart comment, but he tripped on a root. "The ground tastes delicious, in case you were wondering." He spat out a leaf. "But it would really do better if it had a hint of pizza." She offered Leo her hand, which he took. Argo pulled him to his feet, then reached over his head.  
"Hold still."  
Leo shifted underneath her hand. "I don't have any lice if that's what you're searching for, however, I happen to know some people from the Ares cabin who's heads you could pick through."  
She rolled her eyes and untangled her hand from his messy hair. "I just guessed you didn't want this little guy sticking around." "What?" Peeking over from the side of Argos hand was a small, snuffling creature. A mouse. Great. "I knew I needed to shower, but I wasn't expecting an actual rats nest." The rodent looked up at Argo and let out a small squeak. "Oh, you want to get down? Okay." She let it crawl out of her hand onto the ground. It stopped and glared at Leo then scurried away. He turned to Argo.  
"You speak mouse?"  
She shook her head. "Not a word. How did it get into your hair anyway?" He shrugged, "must of gotten caught when I fell."  
"Oh."  
They walked without talking for a while, each lost in their thoughts. Then a memory from that night sparked Leo's interest.

"What do the numbers on your necklace mean?" Argo had to blink a few times. "Huh?"  
Leo gestured to the small circle dangling on a chain that hung around her neck. The number now read 7.5.

"This? I'm not really sure. It was blank a while ago. I think it's counting down to something." Her face betrayed her, there was something Argo wasn't telling him.  
"Is that what Aphrodite came to talk to you about?" She avoided Leo's gaze.

"I- I dont really remember. It's all sort of a blur."  
He decided not to push the subject, he knew what it was like to have someone in his face about something personal. Not just annoying, it was none of their business. He changed the subject. "Why did she have to stick me on pause anyway? I could of just hung out in the kitchen for a while instead of being stuck in a very unflattering position for half an hour." She looked relieved.

"You would of eavesdropped."

Leo feigned innocence. "Who? Me? Leo Valdez? Listening in to conversations? You, ma'am, deeply offend me!" She leaned against him for a moment, playfully shoving him to the side. "You know you would!" Leo laughed, barely keeping the nervousness out. He was very aware of how close she was.

Gods, she was pretty.

That certainly didn't help his awkwardness around her. He held on to his other arm, which was hanging loosely to his side.

"Okay, maybe, but look, what would you do?" Argo had just made a sarcastic face.

"What?"

Before She could answer, a conch blew in the distance, signalling breakfast. Argo was going to be late, and Leo knew he was going to get questions. "It's okay, I'm usually in trouble anyway."

But Argo wasn't having it. She grabbed his hand and took off at top speed, making Leo feel like he was going to need to design a new arm to replace the limb he was about to lose.

* * *

"So where were you last night?"

The question took Leo off guard. No one had bothered them when they arrived. They had gotten some strange looks at the mess hall that morning when Argo had come careening in with Leo in tow.

Other than that, the day had been going pretty well. Argo was gone for a while with the Aphrodite cabin and, for some reason, Clarisse.

Earlier, Leo had hung out with Piper and Percy in the stables for a while, discussing when the next visiting week would be. None of them had really gotten used to the schedule yet, so they had no clue which camp would be staying at which next week.

"Octavian will probably convince everyone that we'll murder while they sleep if they come here, so I figure Camp Jupiter will want us to visit there first." Percy had pointed out, feeding a black Pegasus sugar cubes.

Leo was sitting on a stable door, making a sort of vibrating, blinking object, that twisted into different shapes. He snorted. "He will probably murder us first, after a couple stuffed owls that point to our deaths."

Piper had agreed, and wrinkled her nose. "I'm glad I'll be with Jason for a week, but Roman routines? We won't last a day."

"I could do it, so could Max and Carrie, and probably the rest of my siblings." Annabeth had entered. She had immediately walked over to Percy, who offered her a sugar cube. She popped it into her mouth and he had put an arm around her waist.

"Yeah, we know about you, wise girl, but the rest of us are going to be totally lost. I even spent time as praetor, and they still got me confused."

Annabeth had raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't take much to confuse you, Seaweed brain."  
Piper broke in, "And weren't you Praetor for, like, three hours?"

"So?"

Annabeth continued, "Chiron told me that we won't actually have to participate in their traditions and ceremonies anyway. We are going to set up tents and a single cooking site, essentially another Camp Half-Blood within their camp. We will have to engage in different competitions and activities though."

Leo had finished his small device, which had began to vibrate its way around the floor, it occasionally manipulated its body into a different shape, giving it a different way to move.

"So basically we move in, make a lot of noise, kick their butts and leave?" Leo smiled mischievously, "Maybe should get in touch with some people on the Hermes cabin, because I have a feeling Octavian has a few things coming."

"Reyna will kill you."

Leo grinned. "Nah, Reyna's cool, I'll be fine." He had hopped off the door by then, and picked up the jittering machine.  
"Speaking of which, I've gotta go figure out what Argos doing."

Piper had shaken her head. "You need to keep her with you more, Leo. She could get lost or  
something." Leo had just bowed deeply and wandered out to find Argo.

* * *

Leo's face burned. The red light of the furnace thankfully hidden the redness in his cheeks.

"That's a very interesting question." He didn't meet Nyssa's eyes. She had until the room had been empty before asking him. Even though she was his older sibling, Leo still didn't really feel like he was related to these people. He could barely remember their names, much less know them personally.

Nyssa's gaze was boring a hole in the back of Leo's head. He kept working on.. whatever he was working on. He couldn't remember anymore, but he continued to focus. Nyssa did not waver. She simply waited.

"Okay, so I suffered from unexpected insomnia and hung out at the Bunker." He plucked at wire. "Nothing happened, unfortunately." He grinned at her. "Disappointed, sis?"

She studied Leo's face, and slowly shook her head.

"Just worried. You looked ready to drop this morning, is all."

"No sleep would do that."  
He frowned at his project, then switched some wires around.

"How's your new girlfriend?" Leo hesitated. Then let his hands work by themselves. What did he think about Argo?

"You know, doing what most girls do when they see me." He put the back of his hand to his forehead, the other over his heart, swooning. He fell to the floor in a faint.

Nyssa's normally hard features cracked into a smile. "I'm sure, Valdez." She headed towards the doorway, stopping, and turning at the last second.

"Enjoy it while you can.. It's not always dad gives out gifts like that." Her voice broke a little towards the end.

Leo blinked. Was she, _**jealous**_? Of what? Almost getting killed on dangerous quests? Watching friends volunteer their deaths?

Then he noticed, as he was rising off the floor, dusting off his already stained pants. His tool belt. The tool belt. His present from Daddy. His _first_ present. _Oh._

_I guess people would be jealous. This baby has everything a Hephaestus kid would want._ Leo pulled on a few parts within the sphere that he was working on.

_I gotta admit, Dad may not be good with people, but he sure can pick a present_. Leo's mind flashed back to the day before, when he had called Hephaestus out on that exact topic, but with an opposite opinion. It felt like weeks ago, rather than just yesterday morning. He wondered if he was being watched now. Hephaestus had said he was proud, but had he meant it?

Leo shaped a metal piece to form the right cover for a switch. Had Hephaestus said that to all of his kids? Told them he was proud?

He obviously hadn't given them anything.

What had made Leo so special? He has been supposedly watching Leo grow up. Had his Dad felt pride the whole time?

Leo doubted it, he had done some pretty stupid stuff as a kid. Reprogrammed the keyboards in the labs to play Happy Birthday no matter what key you pressed. The one time he made all the lightbulbs in the girls washroom flash different colors. The noodle incident.

He shuddered, not wanting to recall the feeling. That experiment had gone so bad that it had caused him, and everyone who was around him, some of sort of unreasonable worry around chow mien for the rest of their lives.

He sat back, both admiring and criticizing his work heavily._ Not enough pressure here. Too much stiffness here. _ Leo added some more air to the gauge weight, causing the PSI to rise in the side chamber. _Lord Hephaestus_ _really had understood how- __  
_

Leo stopped. What his godly parent had given him was not happiness.

His tool belt had not brought him gleeful giddiness and love of all plants and weird Chinese-Canadian guys who could turn into bears.  
No, not happiness.  
Not even Argo could do that yet.

No one could.

Leo stopped thinking, it mixed him up too much. He let his fingers move on their own, getting into the rhythm of working, pulling what he couldn't find in the tool box from his belt.

A repair boy at heart.

All the way to the core.

He drove in loose material, tightening, custom-creating tools, and working under a microscope at some particularly hard spots.

It was late when She came in, a distraction from himself.

"Whatcha doing?" Her fuzzy red head poked through the door. "Hey! Is that an Archimedes sphere?"

He nodded, quiet at first, then enthusiastic as she grabbed the plans and a pencil and started asking questions, patching on every bit of information she received.

Leo pulled a Sphere over, showing her what he had been doing when she came in. Her finger twirled a small piece of hair into a springy curl.

As he explained what the machinery could do, he took in all the other details, the ones she never picked up on.

With her leaning in too close for comfort,

the smeared eyeliner that the Aphrodite kids had stuck to her face,

the hoodie she had kept and Leo had never ask for back,

the way she found the wonder in everything,

Leo finally understood.

His father knew how to give him what he needed.

And as Argo ran her small hands over the pages, occasionally circling things, and making notes in messy writing on a separate piece of paper ; As she didn't notice that their hips were touching. As she retold all the corny jokes she had heard that day, Leo knew his Father was right.

He needed Argo.

* * *

**Alright, that was cheesy. I felt like I should put something in there that was complete cheese. It's been so long since my last update! S-C-H-O-O-L SUCKS at this point. :) Please Review! Criticism accepted and appreciated! I really do want to Improve! **


	7. Stuck and Losing

Percy stared out the window of the beat-up school bus, bored out of his mind. Annabeth had fallen asleep an hour ago, leaving him to sixty minutes of keeping her from falling off the seat, and being extremely jealous of her ability to pass out at will.

She had been trying to read some sort of book when she went unconscious, so Percy was constantly having to rescue that, too. He was absolutely convinced that the bloodthirsty sater had no idea how to drive a bicycle, much less a full-length bus crowded with caffeinated ADHD demigods with nothing to do for hours on end.

That morning had been an organized version of chaos, and it had taken Chiron three hours to finally get everyone accounted for and on the road, a new record.

The entire operation was almost insane, with all the new campers, the Hephaestus and Athena cabins had to devote most of their time yesterday to mess with the bus engines, giving them different boosts of power, to make the trip as short as possible. Percy had barely seen his girlfriend in the past two days, and instead of talking, she had just collapsed next to him.

He was used to it though, it was one the problems of dating an Athena girl. So he got a lot of time of watching her sleep, which was nice, as her face seemed to melt off all worry and stress.

He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She had started to get thrown around in her sleep because of the crazy steering of Coach Hedge, who Percy was just lucky enough to get as a driver. He had worked out a system of alternately bracing his knees against the back of the seat in front of him, and holding Annabeth like a human seatbelt. At least it was something to do.

Percy was thankful for the ridges surrounding each seat, that way he wouldn't have to go chase their duffel bags down the aisles. The Morpheus kids had it easy, they had brought enough pillows and sleeping bags so that they could turn into feathery sleep-slugs.

He glanced over at the rest of the Athena and Hephaestus kids, who had the same issue. Except many of their bench buddies had not been as nearly as considerate as Percy had been with Annabeth. Two guys had just given up, and had blacked out halfway in the aisle, not caring that their stray limbs were being tied together by a few Hermes girls, who appeared to be in an alliance with Travis and Conner for the moment.

Percy sighed, wondering who's idea it was to trap the Hermes Cabin with only other cabins who were guaranteed to be sleeping for the majority of the trip.  
There was a total of five buses, and three other Strawberry Vans being used to carry additional equipment. All of the vehicles had been messed with, not to only shave down time, but to avoid attracting monsters. There were so many half-bloods, that the buses probably left such a strong trail that not even Smelly Gabe could cover up.

That hadn't stopped them from attempting it though. The result had been to "borrow" some mortal school buses and adapt them to long-range ability.

A bathroom was installed, which as far as Percy could tell, was still the Stolls territory. However Malcolm Reynolds and RiverTam had teamed up, and looked like they were going to try and storm it. Percy was pretty sure that Travis and Connor were going to lose their toilets pretty quickly.

A few other upgrades were put in, such as another pair of wheels and A/C, which everyone was grateful for. Unfortunately for a while, a particularly powerful alliance had been made, causing the creation of control over the heating and air conditioning. After some overheating blackmail, Coach Hedge had finally drawn the line.

"It's okay to kill one another once in a while, but having a good war is different from giving someone _HEAT STROKE_. NOW QUIT MESSING WITH THE SETTINGS, CUPCAKES." Towards the end of his speech, Coach Hedge had pulled out his megaphone, which was completely unnecessary, as he was already on an overhead speaker.

But other than declaring the A/C settings off-limits, the only adult supervisor had encouraged the weapons-trained kids to continue to murder each other. How entertaining.

Leo was one of the few people who was not really affected by the attacks. He hadn't been affected by the bus-sauna corruption, and strangely, neither had Argo.

Percy didn't dwell on this too much, as he face-planted the seat in front of him, not anticipating the buses swerve.

He tightened himself against Annabeth, praying she would stay asleep.

She didn't.

Leo snorted over the ridge of his screen across the aisle, glad he wasn't Percy. Annabeth had woken up not knowing where she was, and had almost skewered Him. She was now listening attentively, as her boyfriend tried explaining why they were both lying on the floor.

Leo went back to his game, his back pressing on the window, sideways on the seat. He and Argo had piled their bags so high that whenever the bus jerked, the impact was absorbed by the clothes.

It saved them from head-slamming the people in front, unlike Percy, who's entire left side of his face was turning bright red.

Leo had his back against the shell of the bus, and Argo was leaning on his knees, intensely focused on her screen.

"Stop letting me win!"

He had brought some hand-held gaming devices -or HDG's- which he had played with, making some minor modifications, personalizing them to his content.

Argo was still not used to the controls, and had lost to Leo thirty or so times in the last ten minutes, so he had decided to help her a little. Only she had started to catch on.

She had just limped across the line in a Lotus, when he had whizzed through in a VW Bug a few seconds later.

"Seriously! How am I supposed to get better if you keep throwing it?"

She pushed on his legs with her back, then leaned her head backwards so she was looking at him upside-down, her hair tumbling into his lap.

Leo blinked innocently.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It's not my fault you keep beating me, I liked being in first place."

He slid backwards a little, subconsciously. He stuck out his bottom lip, running a hand over his hair, eyes upward at the ceiling.

"You could let me win a couple of times you know, just to be fair.."

He glanced at Argo.

She was smirking. She stuck her tongue out.

"Oh, it's so on Valdez."

He shrugged as she turned back around, not bothering to pay attention to his screen, or what buttons he was pushing, a huge mistake. When his eyes focused back, Argo had done three laps, and was doing a few victory donuts around his car, effortlessly.

"How in Hades did you do that? You've been holding out on me, sister." He blasted into top gear, but was easily overtaken by Argo, who now was showing off, drifting casually through the entire map.

She flicked some hair over her shoulder, "Magic."

Leo was now fighting for his life, barely remembering to shift gears.

"How would you like it if I 'magically' beat you to a pulp?" She breezed around him.

"I would enjoy watching you try."

The next few races were long and full of trash talk flying from Argo to Leo, both nowhere near letting the other win anymore.

* * *

**Another Chapter! :) sorry for the slow updating... **

**Review? I love reading them, and they are motivation to post more! Thank-youuuuu to who did by the way, :D**

**P.S I let my younger sister read these, and now for some reason I feel violated On some sort of level O.o**


	8. Cards

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan! Apologies :) **

* * *

"Ow.." Argo was jolted awake, crashing onto the aisle of the bus. She sat up, rubbing her head. "Why am I on the floor?" Leo, who's legs were the only thing visible at the moment, struggled to get out from underneath Percy, who had gotten hurled on top of him.

"I think we crashed, which, last time I checked," his head popped into view. "was physically impossible."

Percy was attempting to untangle himself from a rogue pair of headphones. "Everybody alright?"

There was a sort of roll-call then, as Coach Hedge had been incapacitated for the moment, an espresso in one hand, and his club in the other.

Everyone was present, confused and groggy, but present.

Annabeth stood unsteadily on the seat of the bus, which was leaning heavily to the left.

"We have arrived! Everyone, take inventory. Anything left on board will most likely not be returned, so make sure you have everything you packed."

Groans rose from the front, as campers started to see the state of the vehicle.

Bags had been scattered everywhere, the contents spilled thoroughly.

A pink makeup bag had exploded, making a section of the bus look like a Cyclopes had puked up a few pounds of cotton candy.

Earbuds and iPods were lodged pretty much everywhere, and someone's Adventure Time boxers were hanging off one of the Coaches horns.

As Argo peeled her sweater off a window, she noticed the sun was starting to rise.

They didn't have much time.  
She had forgotten about the briefing Chiron had given them that morning.

In order to avoid rising accusations from the mortals, the plan was to have each bus "stall" at different intervals near the tunnel, giving an excuse for them to be unloaded.

One of the Farm vans would then then stop and lift their hoods to appear as if they were hooking up the engines, while everyone was sneaked inside to the Roman Camp.

They were partly relying on the Mist, because nothing could totally cover up around a hundred Demigods running across the highway from a bus to a service door guarded by armed roman warriors.

Even with Chiron's ability to control the Mist, it would need to be amplified to almost ten times it's original power.

Mr. D had refused to join them on the trip, and had only agreed to help because of Argo, for some reason.

Dionysius was to appear when each of the groups started to cross the highway, veiling the eyes of all mortals in the area.

Argo looked out the window, and sure enough, the Wine God was sitting in a leopard-print lawn chair, sipping a diet coke through a straw, ushering campers across the road, and looking bored.

She stuffed the last sock she figured might be hers into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

They were the third group so far, and with two more buses to unload, the whole of Camp Half-Blood even in Roman territory was going to be difficult. Much less actually unpacking and setting up.

Being carried along in the current of people, Argo felt herself being moved out of the bus, into the morning air, her feet crunching on the gravel. Unable to pick out anyone in the small crowd, she shrugged, following the general flow of people.

She found herself next to Dionysus, who saw her immediately. She smiled and did a slight bow, respectfully. The corner of his mouth rose in a half-smile, then waved a hand dismissively.

Argo realized that people had started sprinting across the four lanes, then waved at Dionysus one last time.

Reaching the other side, a hand touched hers. She looked up. She came face to face with Hazel, who was in full armour, including her cavalry helmet. Her golden eyes glittered.  
"Hi."  
Hazel opened her mouth about to say something, then Argo was shoved hard from behind, propelling her forward, into New Rome.

* * *

Argo collapsed onto her sleeping bag, ignoring the fact it was almost ten in the morning. The work of arriving had wiped her out, not to mention that three other groups had arrived in the last half an hour, which was draining in itself.

Argo had chosen to stay close to Piper, pitching her tent with the Aphrodite Cabin. Unfortunately, pretty much everyone other than Piper and Argo knew how to stake down a tent, meaning that they had to do everything. Piper had been cool about it, though Argo thought she saw a small flicker of annoyance, but she hadn't been sure.

Not only had the campers have to set up their own areas, but huge undercover areas had to be organized. Picnic tables would be arranged around in a large circle, in the shade, the head table in the center.

The portable kitchen had taken the longest to haul across the highway, across the Tiber, into the fields, and to unpack. When Chiron had finally dismissed them, he only instructed that they not enter the Roman Camp, and to come back in time for briefing. The crowd had immediately dispersed into small groups, talking and laughing quietly.

Most people had headed back to their tents, overworked. Argo had forgotten where hers was, so she was glad of the signs indicating what direction each cabin was, and the signs in front of the tent clusters, declaring the number.

She had wandered for a while, enjoying she soft morning sun. When she finally found the Aphrodite tents, she had entered silently, trying not to bother the other girls she was sharing it with.

Now, she buried her face in Albert, who served as a decent pillow.

She breathed out, relaxing. Not bothering to get inside the bag, Argo let her eyelids fall, giving in to the exhaustion that had been plaguing her all morning.

* * *

"Hey. Get up, fuzzy head! It's time to go." Argo was being shaken lightly by Lily, a sweet ten year old year-rounder.

Argo groaned. She rolled over, pulling Albert over her head, blocking out the now warm sunlight and cutting off Lily.

"Ten more minutes.." Her voice was muffled my the fabric, but it still made it to Lily, who giggled.

"Allons-y! Nous avons retarde! We're going to be late!" Lily slipped into French briefly, forgetting Argo didn't understand.

Argo let out a defeated rush of air, and sat up. Looking down, the first thing she saw was her necklace.

It read 6, and Argo glared at it. She wanted to rip it off her neck, and hurl it into the sea, be rid of it forever. She didn't get a chance however.

"Come on, Argo, please."  
Argo forced a smile. "Alright, okay I'm up!" Lily bounced to her feet, chattering at Argo, who followed her to the mess area.

As the tables came in view, Argo saw that they weren't the only late ones, many other people had overslept, yawning and trying to pat their hair back into shape.

A steady stream of demigods, ranging from around eighteen to nine years old, gathered at their camp tables and benches.

She scanned the scene for Piper, who was nowhere in sight. She turned to ask Lily, but she had melted into the crowd, leaving Argo alone.

She started to panic slightly, seeing almost no one she knew, not even Chiron. Nervously, she fingered her necklace, running her thumb over the raised number six, then pressing hard, imprinting it onto her finger.

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey."

Argo turned and was surprised to see Annabeth, who smiled sympathetically. "If you're looking for Piper, she got special permission enter the roman camp, she's visiting Jason."

She gestured to a table full of blonde-haired and blue-eyed campers who were playing some sort of card game.

"You could sit with us, if you like, no one will mind." Argo brightened, she had not met many of Annabeths brothers or sisters yet, because they had all been busy working on the buses.

"Thanks!"

Sitting down, she was immediately dealt into the game. Unfamiliar with the rules, it took a few minutes for Annabeth to explain, but Argo had understood quickly.  
She set to work, quietly taking out each player.

Soon it was just was just her and Annabeth.

Argo was struggling, but managed to keep her face clear of any emotion.

A crowd had gathered around them, and kids had started to place bets.

She shuffled her cards, ignoring everyone around her, hoping that her queens would hold out.

They were down to the last move, and Argo was hanging onto a spade, confident that Annabeth was trapped in a bluff.

As she put down her cards, there was a collective intake of breath. It was a powerful play, and she shrugged. It was her final blow, and if this didn't work, nothing would.

Annabeth smirked, and slowly revealed her cards.

A full break, Argo was beaten.

Cheers rang out, and so did a few curses.

Many people were cashing in their bets. As it turned out, the stakes had been pretty high for one kid, who had to hand over around seventy dollars mortal cash.

"Not bad." Annabeth said, nodding at the cards, which Argo had started to put away.

"It runs in the family."

* * *

**I'm back with another chapter! Sorry this took so long to update, argh. NEW FANGLED TECHNOLOGY. I tried to get this right, but Argo seems rather out of character, if that makes sense. I am not happy with the ending of this chapter, but this is as good is it gets, I guess. Please review, it means a lot! **


	9. To be Attacked

Leo watched as Argo looked at the knife with horror. Reyna and Piper stood in the armoury looking determined.

"I'm really sorry, but if you are going to participate in the competitions and games, you're going to need a weapon." Piper held out the sharp object, holding the blade gingerly.

The handle stuck out close to Argo, who looked ready to bolt. She shifted uneasily from foot to foot. Her hair was flickering in the afternoon light, appearing as if candles were climbing up and around her face.

"I don't want to hurt-"

She was interrupted by Reyna, who's voice melted only when she spoke to Argo.

"Though the weapon is absolutely necessary, I doubt you will require it at all times, in the best cases, perhaps almost never."  
This was probably meant to be encouraging, however Argo made a small, strangled noise, backing away from the knifes handle.

Leo raised his hand, clearing his throat. "Do I have to be here for this?"  
Both girls glared at him.  
"Yes."

"O-kay." He slumped against the doorway, wishing Chiron hadn't brought up the subject.

After Leo had finally found the mess tent, he had already missed most of Chiron's lecture of how to not get killed in New Rome.

Argo had been there already, apparently still tired. He had noticed that about her, she was _definitely_ not a morning person.

Reyna, Octavian, and Rachel had been present as well, standing behind the centaur as he spoke.  
Octavian had glared at him.

Leo had blown him a kiss, winking.

Octavian had just looked away, apparently disgusted.

"..also, refrain from bringing any weapons into the city, they already dislike Greeks without needing any encouragement of bad behaviour. On that note, there is nothing scheduled until the late afternoon, so you are free to wander."

Excitement had hummed through the campers, eager to explore enemy territory. Percy and Annabeth had gone to meet up with everyone, enjoying the freedom.

Meanwhile, he was stuck trying to find something pointy for Argo to possibly stab someone with.

He yawned hugely, silently willing for them to speed up the process; then-  
_Whoa._  
Leo giggled, which sounded stupid, even to himself.

He turned and frowned lopsidedly at Reyna.

"Who turned you orange? It's not a good colour on you, Reynnie."

He waved clumsily at the dagger in Pipers hand, "Try purple, like the bird Piper's holding."

Three pairs of eyes locked on to him. Only Reyna's eyes were narrowed.  
"Who is this 'Reynnie'?"

Argo blinked, looking at the blade in Pipers hand, back at Reyna, then at Leo, thoroughly confused. "It doesn't look purple to me."

Piper looked concerned.  
"Are you okay?"

Leo opened his mouth, about to say something equally baffling, when a cold, sharp pain erupted in the back of his head, spreading freezing thorns against the inside of his skull.  
"Ow.."  
He fell forward slightly, trying to regain his balance as the room spun, keeping him from thinking straight.

A voice sounded behind Leo, and he knew he should recognize it, but he couldn't make out the words.  
The ground fell out from underneath him, and his cheek collided with something hard and apparently, sharp.

Something warm and red was flowing out his face, and a strong sense of wooziness took over.

There were screams but Leo barely registered them, happily watching the shoes dance around him on the swirly tiles.

Someone was laughing. Hysterical, psychotic laughter that scared the small part of Leo that could still think.

He opened his mouth to tell it to stop, but it was already open, breaking into another giggle.

Suddenly he was moving, and the sunlight hit him, overwhelmingly bright.  
A set of pretty green eyes appeared over his face.  
_Cool, The ocean. Like, Percy? _

Leo tried to reach toward them, a last attempt at looking smooth.

He slurred slightly as he spoke.

"Hey, come here often?"

A loud snort resounded somewhere Behind Him.

"Seriously, dude?"

The eyes crinkled, in a frown.

_Thats not right, not anger. It doesn't fit.. _

Leo suddenly jerked forward, as the thorns in his head dug deeper. The world twisted, as the pain blackened his vision.

Watching, as everything slowly faded into nothingness.

* * *

I realized I haven't updated in **forever**, so here's a little tidbit that took way too long to create. Sorry to end it so quickly, but there's not enough thinking capacity to make anything longer right now :(

Review?


	10. Confusion

Argo looked like she was going to pass out. Her face was a garbled mess of confusion, fear, and other emotions, like she couldn't sort out or recognize what they were.  
Jason felt Pipers arm slip away from his waist. She flashed him a look of worry over her shoulder as she walked carefully up to Argo, who was now holding her head with her eyes squeezed shut.

He nodded grimly back. Whatever had just happened, it wasn't good.

"Just breathe, it's going to be okay, just breathe," Hazel soothed.  
Hazel had heard the commotion, pretty much everyone had, and had come over to see what was happening. She had been in the middle of a practice session, so she was in full armour.  
Argo was now kneeling on the floor, curled up smaller, still holding her head.  
"What's wrong with him?" She whispered. No one answered.

Jason shuddered involuntarily, as the vision of Leo crept back into his mind. His friend had gotten carried out on a stretcher, bleeding heavily and twitching. He was struggling against the restraints that held him down, his hair smoking, his hands flaming, and screaming with laughter.

The only thing that comforted Jason was Leo's attempt on Argo. Seriously, even when that guy was delusional and injured, he still tried to get a girl. That's dedication. _Or maybe just desperation_. Jason thought, bringing himself back to Piper and Hazel.

"What. Is. Wrong. With. Him?" Argo repeated. She lifted her head slightly, shaking. The tremor in her voice suddenly knocked Jason back a few days ago, when Leo had spoken to Vulca- Hephaestus.  
Her voice matched Leo's exactly, practically mimicking his anger.  
_"Where is my ship?"_

Reyna's words cut through the air, and sliced against the back of Jason's neck. "What does it matter? It is no issue with the Romans if a Greek is lost, simply an easier victory," she spoke with some bitterness, as if not just addressing Argo. "Not that your friend was probably of much use anyway."  
_Ouch_.  
Argo was up in a blur of light, the knife in her hand, digging into Reyna's neck. She had pushed Reyna against the wall, knocking over a rack of helmets that clattered loudly to the floor.

Jason blinked. Twice. "Argo.." Piper started, her voice laced with charmspeak.  
Argo put up a hand, _"No, don't._"  
Piper stumbled backward a few steps, as if Argo had just punched her in the stomach. Jason ran over to her, helping her to her feet.

"I don't know where you've been, but you know obviously know nothing about Leo." Her other hand suddenly burst into a searing hot flame, concentrated and deadly, much like the weapon she had pressed against Reyna's throat. Hazel gasped.

Reyna glared, her chin pointing defiantly at the ceiling. "I know he fired on Rome. I know he endangered not only the legion, but those who live in our city. Small children, mothers, fathers, daughters. He threatened us. Do we not have a right to be even slightly resentful?"

Argo faltered, but not for long. "That wasn't his fault, he was being controlled by an eidolon. He would never do anything to hurt anyone, not intentionally!"  
Reyna didn't say anything. She sighed, bringing her eyes back down from the roof, to meet with Argos fiery ones. Her face took on an expression Jason had never seen on her before.  
Was it.. Fear? No, not Reyna.  
It was pity.

"Do really believe that?"  
Octavian appeared in the doorway, mid-sneer. Argo didn't turn to look at him. The flame sputtered.

Octavian laughed. "You do!"  
He walked inside, striding past Jason who tensed. Octavian had no idea what he was getting into. Argo had never experienced anger, or true fear, and had no way of knowing how to restrain herself, even from possibly killing someone. There was no telling what she would do; she was a loose canon.

He quickly stepped between Argo and the Auger. "Octavian, enough."  
Octavian turned toward him sharply. "And you, the Great Jason Grace. An idolized _'Roman'_ warrior. Look at you now, your fellow praetor being threatened and you just stand by, letting her be attacked by a deluded young girl."  
The last part he said to Argo, leaning over Jason's shoulder.  
Argo turned around slowly, and Octavian's mocking smile widened. "I'm not deluded."  
Octavian scoffed. "You say your companion is innocent, but what of all the monsters he has slain, even on your own decks?"  
Jason hesitated, surprised. Apparently, word of Argo has spread quicker than he had realized. Octavian continued. "Did no one tell you it was your dear Leo that attacked a Goddess? That he destroyed her? Think of all the people he would of hurt, with the power he recklessly commands, the power you threaten me with now."  
Argo had long since taken the knife away from Reyna's neck. Her hand flickered. She glanced at it.  
Octavian noticed. "Yes, that. I do not fear you, and no one ever will. You are afraid, as you should be with your staggering ignorance."

And that's when Argo broke.

Leo rubbed his eyes, but the blackness remained, no matter what he did.  
Even when he was in full flame, no light was shed onto anything, as if he was in a living shadow. He had been in this weird twilight zone for what felt like twelve hours. Though it was hard to tell, the time was probably different in this place, hidden in his own mind.

The emptiness was daunting. It tore at his clothes, like the opposite of the wind, still and silent, but with similar effects; Leo was freezing, his fire somehow gave off no heat anymore. Actually, his hands were _colder_ than the rest of him, which didn't make any sense.

"Remind me to never come here for vacations." Leo muttered to no one, then decided to not speak. Words felt alien and weird when spoken. Like they got sucked out of existence by the huge expanse of emptiness. Could there be an actual amount of emptiness? _Maybe if.. _  
With nothing to do, Leo's mind went into overdrive, getting so excited it almost started to seem to talk to itself.  
Leo was on the middle of an argument, when a small laugh somewhere far to his right broke in on his statement on the effect of rusted spokes on ten bicycles fused together.

Out of hope, Leo ran in the direction of the voice, praying to pretty much every God he figured might just barely care enough to hear him. The list wasn't very long.  
As he started to get closer to the source of the laugh, a sense of hopeless washed over him, soaking his thoughts in pure misery.

There was no point to this. Or to anything. Life was totally useless, especially his own. He was worthless, fated to be the seventh wheel forever. All he caused was trouble, his own aunt didn't even want him. Jason had Piper now, and Piper had Jason. They wouldn't care anymore. No one would care if he disappeared.  
He killed own mother, it was no wonder he wasn't wanted.  
He should just go curl up in a ball and die.  
_Yeah, die._ Leo slowly sunk to his knees, as darker thoughts ran through his head, digging him deeper into the hole he was creating with each idea. _I wonder if my tool belt can bring out a knife. It probably can.. Maybe a gun._  
Leo's hands traveled slowly downwards, reaching for his tool belt. Halfway there, his brain finally made a last-ditch attempt to save him.  
_What about Argo_? Leo stopped.  
_What about her?_  
_Well, she likes you, she thinks you're amazing. The bomb._  
Leo shook his head at the words in his mind, no one liked him.  
_What about Festus?_ His head pressed on. _If you leave, he'll be all alone, and so will she. _  
_Alone. I remember alone. _  
That snapped Leo out of it, his mind had won. He shivered, wanting to get rid of the poisonous thoughts..  
He stood up slowly, and his legs groaned in protest. Just how long had he been like that? Then he laughed nervously. _How could I of died in a dream anyway?_ Then he frowned. He was talking to himself again, that was happening a little too often.  
"Yes, how? How could he of died? Many, many ways, my dear, but he still lives. Perhaps I have been far to generous. Should I kill him now?"

Leo whipped around, looking for the owner of the voice. He found nothing. Just more blackness.  
"He searches for me now, does he fear us? No?"

The voice definitely belonged to a woman, but it was nothing like the voices of anyone Leo had ever met. It was cold, but also sweet, syrupy, persuasive.

"He is analyzing us. We should give him something to consider, perhaps a choice."  
The world lightened slightly. Leo felt relieved, any longer in the dark and he would of died of suffocation. Then suddenly, a dark shape loomed before him, an entrance to a cave. Screams emanated from its depth, where many unknown tortures lay, hurting many unknown souls.  
Leo stared at it, pulling out him out of the trance; he really did not want to go in there. When he turned around, he found a wall, higher than he could see, and farther on both sides.  
Then the voice who had laughed before spoke again, urging him to walk through. "Forward, Brave One," it said mockingly. "Forward into death. For bravery is just another word for stupidity. Forward, to the inevitable." It went on, encouraging Leo to March to his doom. Though tempting as she made it seem, Leo still was not inclined to die, not anymore.

_Nope, not happening_, thought Leo, who was reaching for his tool belt.  
He never felt it. All his hand touched was his pants, grazing the once-full belt loops. He stiffened, panic surging through him as he checked each loop individually, once, than twice, than a third time. The voice chuckled smoothly, "Confused, little carpenter? You shall now see, helpless, as you struggle through the figments of your imagination."  
Leo straightened, trying to hide the shaking of his hands, took a deep breath, and walked through the cave door.

What he saw made him stop short. It was brighter in the cave than the outside, and chained to the wall, playing cards, was Hephaestus and Jason. Only Jason's hair was a bright shade of pink.  
"I don't-" He was interrupted by Jason, who glared at him. "I have always hated you. You were never my friend, so stupid and annoying."  
That took Leo a minute to process, but by then Hephaestus was already speaking, "I am not your father, you are not my son. I am ashamed to call you my offspring. He is to replace you." Hephaestus gestured to Jason, who was still looking irritated.  
Leo's mouth went dry. What?  
No, he wasn't surprised, hadn't he been expecting to hear this for months? Years? Then Leo shook his head, these weren't real. Neither of them were. They couldn't be.  
"Doubtful, puny tinkerer?" The voice said, teasingly. "Do not worry, there is much more to come."

* * *

**Augh! Sorry for the lack of quality, I been seriously busy lately, so this did not really turn out as nicely. ****This chapter was supposed to be longer, but there has been technical difficulties. So, um.. unintentional semi-cliffhanger. **


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